Kalanikauleleiaiwi facts for kids

Kalanikauleleiaiwi was a very important Chiefess on the island of Hawaiʻi. She lived in the late 1600s and early 1700s. People saw her as a co-ruler of Hawaiʻi island. She ruled alongside her half-brother, Keaweʻīkekahialiʻiokamoku. He was the 21st King of Hawaii. Both Kalanikauleleiaiwi and her half-brother shared the same mother, Keakealaniwahine. Their mother was the ruling Queen of Hawaii.

Kalanikauleleiaiwi was considered to have a very high rank. This was because her father, Kāneikaiwilani, came from the powerful Oʻahu dynasty of Kākuhihewa. Her parents, Kāneikaiwilani and Keakealaniwahine, both shared the High Chief Iwikauikaua of Oʻahu as a father. Kalanikauleleiaiwi was a great-grandmother of King Kamehameha I. Kamehameha I later founded the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi.

Family and Descendants

Kalanikauleleiaiwi had several marriages during her life. She had children from each of these relationships. Her children and their descendants played important roles in Hawaiian history.

First Marriage

Her first marriage was to Kaulahea II. He was the king of Maui. This happened when she was quite young. Later, she returned to the island of Hawaiʻi. Their daughter was named Kekūʻiapoiwa. Kekūʻiapoiwa stayed on Maui. She married her half-brother Kekaulike. Their family line became known as the Kekaulike Dynasty of Maui. Many important leaders in the early Hawaiian Kingdom came from this family.

Later Marriages and Children

After returning to Hawaiʻi, Kalanikauleleiaiwi married her half-brother, Keaweʻīkekahialiʻiokamoku. They had a son, Keʻeaumoku Nui. He was considered to have the highest possible rank. He was the rightful successor to his father and mother. They also had a daughter named Kekelaokalani I.

Her third partner was Kauaua-a-Mahi. He was a powerful chief from the Mahi family in Kohala. With him, she had two sons. Their names were Alapaʻinui and Hāʻae-a-Mahi.

Her fourth and last partner was the High Chief Lonoikahaupu. He was a very high-ranking chief from Kauaʻi. With him, she had her last children, Keawepoepoe and Kanoena. Keawepoepoe and Kanoena were the parents of Kameʻeiamoku and Kamanawa. Another son of Keawepoepoe was Keʻeaumoku Pāpaʻiahiahi. These three chiefs, along with Keawe-a-Heulu, were very important. They helped Kamehameha I conquer and unite the Hawaiian Islands. They also became his trusted advisors after he formed the kingdom.

Royal Connections

Kalanikauleleiaiwi's descendants are among the ancestors of several Hawaiian royal families:

• The Kekaulike family, through her eldest daughter Kekūʻiapoiwa.
• The House of Keoua, through her son Keʻeaumoku Nui and daughter Kekelaokalani I.
• The House of Kalākaua and House of Kawānanakoa, through her son Keawepoepoe.